Convertible chair.



1.1. SOUTH.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1916. 1,23 ,354 Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

llmmmmuij m WITNESSES A'ITORNEY J. 1 SOUTH.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED lULY25. lsls Patented Aug. 28, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I "b l Fllllllllllllllll H14 I I lillllilml LM WITNESSES AFI'ORNEY v JEROME J. SOUTH, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 25, 1916. Serial No. 111,221.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME J. SOUTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Convertible Chair, of which the following is specification.

This invention has reference to convertible chairs and its object is to provide a piece of furniture which may at will be changed from a condition permitting its use as a chair to a condition permitting its use as a table, or vice versa.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a seat or stool portion which may or may not be provided with a drawer and which when the device is used. as a chair is designed to hold a suitable cushion. Rising from the seat portion on opposite sides thereof are posts or standards to which are hinged arm members attached to opposite sides of and carrying a structure which in one position of the parts constitutes a table top andin another position constitutes a chair back, and in the latter use is designed to receive and carry a suitable cushion. The arrangement is such that in elther use the arms constitute supportlng means for the member used as a table top or chair back and I are made sufficiently extensive to provide ample arm rests. Moreover, the arms are of hollow or skeleton form and when the device is in position to be utilized as a table the arms receive and house the standards or posts and the weight of the table top and articles thereon is borne in the main by the posts or standards, so that other connecting parts employed are relieved from undue strain. In order to hold the parts in the two operative positions simple and inexpensive catches or latches are employed, these devices serving merely as position retaining means and are not subjected to any par-,

ticular disturbing forces.

The invention w1ll be best understood from a consideration of the following de tailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming'part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes andmodifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective iew of the convertible chair in position as a chair.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the convertible chair in position as a table.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section lengthwise of the table, showing the table partly tipped either toward or from the table position.

Fig. at is a section on the line && of Fig. 2, the section being limited to one side of the structure.

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 5 The fourth side is left open for the reception of a drawer 6 which may be moved into and out of the body portion and has the usual front 7 taking the place of the omitted side piember 5.

On opposite sides of the body member 1 are upstanding posts or standards 8 rigidly secured to the body member in outstanding relation to the side edges of the top 2. These posts 8 have roundedupper edges 9 and rounded lower edges 10, the side edgesof the posts being substantially straight and the posts being somewhat elongated in an up and down direction. This gives ample length for rigidly securing the posts tothe sides of the body member 1 with the posts rising an appropriate distance above the top 2 ,of the body member.

There is also provided a plane member 11 which, as will hereinafter appear, const-i: tutes the back of the device when used as a chair or the table top when used as a table. Ordinarily this top is a single or composite board of appropriate size and finish. Secured to opposite sides of the board 11 are arms 12, these arms beingperpendicular to the plane of the board 11, and one end of each arm is laterally extended, as shown at of the arm.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

of Fig. 1 with certain. of the parts in'the,

Each arm is formed with a longitudinal slot 14- extending throughout the greater portion of the length of the arm, and in the particular showing of the drawings the-slot has rounded ends 15 and 16, respectively, the curvature of these ends corresponding approximately to the curvature of the ends 9 and 10 of the standards 8. The slots 1st are considerably longer than the standards 8 and each slot is divided into two sections by a cross piece 15 adjoining the side members of the arms. Such cross pieces 15 not only serve to strengthen the arms by joining the sides thereof, but may add to the ap pearance of the device by suitable ornamental configuration.

The arms 12 are made considerably thicker than the posts or standards 8 and each arm 12 along one side has a longitudinal cut away portion 17 extended into the lower curved end 16 of the slot 14, so as to house the respectivepost 8 from end to end. The connecting member 15 of each arm 12 is of a thickness approximately the same as that of the respective post 8, so that when the arm 12 and post 8 are in alinement, the connecting member 15 is upon the upper end 9 of the arm 8 and serves as a support for the arm 12 and parts carried thereby when in such position with respect to the post 8. Each arm at the portion provided with the cut away 17 has one leaf of a hinge 18 fast thereto, the other leaf being fast to the corresponding side of the post 8. The leaf of the hinge 18 made fast to the arm 12 has an angle portion constituting a shoulder 19, which when the arm 12 is in the chair positi-on, that is, inclined slightly to the horizontal, constitutes an abutment for the arm against the corresponding post 8.

This permits movement of the table top 11 and arms 12 about the hinges 18 from the table position shown in Fig. 2 to the chair position shown in Fig. 1, or vice versa, an intermediate position being illustrated in Fig. 3.

On what constitutes the under face of the table top 11 there is a latch member 20 so positioned as to snap behind a keeper 21 on one of the legs 3 when the table top or board 11 is moved to the chair back position.

One of the standards 8 is formed near its lower end on what may be termed the front edge with a recess 21 in which is lodged a latch member 22 adapted to engage a keeper 23 on the respective arm 12 when the parts are in the table position.

When the parts are in the chair position, a chair cushion 2a is furnished and also a back cushion 25, the latter being ordinarily held by buttons 26 which may be of a character permitting the ready removal of the cushion 25 when desired. The seat cushion 24: may or may not be fastened in place.

The device of the invention has not only the advantage of ready conversion into a chair or table, as desired, but is capable of being made of massive appearance.

Each standard or. upright 8 and corresponding arm 12 are so arranged that their corresponding inner faces may be in one plane or approximately so, thus having no parts projecting toward the person of the occupant of the device when used as a chair, while the arms themselves are of sufiicient width to provide wide'arm rests which may e of suitable curvature.

lVhen the device is in position for use as a chair, accidental displacement of the chair back, which might occur in the attempt to move the chair from place to place, is prevented by the latch 20 which latter, however, may be easily operated to release the chair back. When the chair back is raised to a level position so as to serve as a table top, the parts are held in the new position by the latch 22, and this latter latch is readily manipulated to release the parts when so sired. In either case the latch is not subjected to any particular strains or forces, those occurring during use being sustained by much stronger parts of the structure, so that there is little liability of breakage of the latches and they may therefore be of usual shape and construction.

What is claimed is:

1. A convertible chair, comprising a basic member constituting the seat portion of the chair and a chair back of a shape and area for use as a table top, the seat portion of the 100 chair being provided with uprights on opposite sides and the chair back having arms on opposite sides fast thereto and hinged to the uprights with the arms housing the up rights when the chair back is moved to the 105 table position.

2. A convertible chair,'comprising a body portion constituting the seat of the chair and a back portion movable with relation to the seat to be used as a table top, the body 110 portion having standards erected on opposite sides and the back portion having arms fast thereto on opposite sides, with the arms cut away to constitute receptacles for the up rights.

3. A convertible chair, comprising a body portion constituting the seat of the chair and a back portion movable with relation to the seat to be used as a. table top, the body portion having standards erected on oppo- 120 site sides and the back portion having arms fast thereto on opposite sides, with the arms cut away to constitute receptacles for the uprights, the cut-away portions of the arms being restricted to one side of each arm with 125 the other sides of the arms of full width to provide arm rests when the structure is in the chair position.

4. A convertible chair comprising a body portion provided with legs and a top con- 130 stituting a seat and cushion receptacle When the device is used as a chair, uprights secured to the body portion and rising thereabove on opposite sides, a plane back portion constituting a table top when the device is to be used as a table, and arms fast to the back portion on opposite sides thereof with the arms cut away on their inner faces to provide receptacles for the uprights and said arms and uprights being hinged together near the upper ends of the uprights.

5. A convertible chair, comprising a body portion provided with legs and a top constituting a seat and cushion receptacle when the device is used as a chair, uprights secured to the body portion and rising thereabove on opposite sides, a plane back portion constituting a table top when the device is to be used as a table, and arms fast to the back portion on opposite sides thereof with the arms cut away on their inner faces to provide receptacles for the uprights, and said arms and uprights being hinged together near the upper ends of the uprights, the

arms being of greater thickness than the uprights to house the latter and provide arm rests on those edges of the arms remote from the hinged connections with the uprights.

6. A convertible chair, comprising a basic member constituting the seat portion of the chair, and a back member of a shape and area for use as a table top, the seat portion of the chair being provided with fixed elongated uprights on opposite sides and the back member having elongated arms on opposite sides fast thereto, said arms having recesses for housing the uprights when the back member is moved to the table position.

7. A convertible chair, comprising a basic member constituting the seat portion of the chair, and a back member of a shape and area for use as a table top, the basic member having fixed uprights on opposite sides substantially midway between the front and back, and the back member having fixed arms on opposite sides substantially midway between the ends of the back member, said arms having a spread to be located exterior to the uprights and having recesses of a length to receive and house the uprights.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JEROME J. SOUTH.

l/Vitnesses S. S. SHOEMAKER, I. L. H001).

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

